Coming Home
by Nessy
Summary: What happens when Mulder comes back after he had to disappear two and a half years ago?
1. Coming Home 1

Title: Coming Home (1/6)  
Authors: Nessy and Cirglas  
Classification: S, R, H / No-romos really shouldn't read this!  
Rating: PG- for now  
Disclaimer: Only Scully's students and the story itself belong to us.  
The rest belongs to Chris Carter and 10-13 productions. Please don't  
sue us... we mean no harm to and with them.  
Summary: Mulder had to disappear two and a half years ago. What  
happens when he comes back?  
Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance, Future  
Spoilers/Timeline: at least 2 years after 5th season. But we ignored  
the fact that Scully can't have children. Hey, we all know they'll  
find a way to overcome THAT problem, right? ;).

Author's notes:  
Nessy: Hi! We're back with a new story. Thanks to all of you who have  
written to us until now. Keep on sending that good ol' feedback. We  
love it.  
Cirglas: We really had a lot of fun writing this story. I hope you'll  
enjoy reading it just as much. There are more stories to come.  
Post: Anywhere. -Would you let us know where? We'll visit ;)  
Feedback: Yes PLEASE

Last but not least: This story is dedicated to two people. To Sarah -  
you made us finish the story a lot faster than we had planned - and  
Muuh - thanks for encouraging us.

Here goes:

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**Coming Home (1/6)**

by Nessy & Cirglas

"Scully, do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?"

"It's highly unlikely, but not impossible."

Mumbling and snickering ran through the last few rows of the lecture  
hall. But they were quickly silenced by some fierce 'shh's from most  
of the other students who wanted to hear her out.

"Now, listen. It took me many years to admit as much as that so  
please don't underestimate my skepticism." Answering laughter. "But  
I've seen a lot over the years, and I've told you about some of it,  
and don't forget, I said it's highly unlikely. And to tell you the  
truth, I'd like to think that there are intelligent beings out there.  
You see, you start to feel pretty lonely if you think that we're  
alone in the universe." More laughter.

Scully felt strange. That was something she had never imagined even  
thinking two and a half years ago, much less before she had ever  
started with 'The X-Files'. /Oh, well. I guess everything has it's  
time in life, huh?/ Scully glanced at her watch. "Okay, everybody.  
The show is over for today. See you all tomorrow." She smiled as she  
heard the sounds of protest from her students. /Actually, teaching is  
fun./ She sighed as she stepped down from the podium. She had had a  
tiring day and just wanted to go home and have a nice quiet evening.

But seeing her two favorite students coming towards her, a smile  
formed on her face. Gwendolyn Parker and Ryan Mitchell were  
intelligent and interested students and, although they were as  
stubborn as she was, they respected her opinion. And she respected  
theirs.

/Sort of like my friendship with Mulder./ A pang of sadness hit her.  
/No. Mulder was completely different., she chided herself. But she  
couldn't think about Mulder anymore. It caused her too much pain to  
think of him. Gwen and Ryan arrived at her side and greeted her.

"Great lesson, Dr. Scully." Gwen said.

"Yeah, a little spooky but quite interesting." Ryan said and they  
all smiled at his small joke.

/Now I'm the one that is called 'spooky'. I wonder what they'll say  
if they meet Mulder, my mentor./

/Not 'if'. 'When'. Mulder'll come back. I know he will./

"Thanks, you two. But I think the guy in the red shirt who sat in the  
third row from the back enjoyed the show a little too much."

"Oh, don't worry about him, Dr. Scully. Ryan and I met him once. And  
he's a jerk. Your classes are always full. Most of 'em thought it was  
interesting."

"Gwen, liver-eating mutants aren't interesting. They are perfect  
material for gruesome stories to tell when sitting around the camp-  
fire. Except that I had the dubious pleasure of encountering one."

"And we believe you. Anyway, what we came for, was to ask you if you  
have something planned for dinner tonight. We'll go to that new  
Italian place called Tony's and we'd like you to join us."

Scully thought about it and realized that, in fact, a little company  
would be nice. And Gwen and Ryan were just the kind of company she  
needed to cheer her up. But she needed to go home beforehand. She  
wanted a little time to relax and check her messages.

"How about after dinner? I have some errands to run, but I'll meet  
you at Berry's around 9 o'clock?" They had met at Berry's before. It  
was a mixture between a bar and a dance hall. And although she didn't  
dance herself, she liked to watch others dance.

"Sure, that would be nice." Gwen seemed delighted. That was when  
something occurred to Scully:

"But only if you don't try and set me up with one of your other  
professors." Gwendolyn's face fell.

"But, Dr. Scully, he's a really nice guy!" Ryan just laughed that  
Gwen's plan had been uncovered.

Scully smiled at him and then turned her attention back to the girl.

"Listen. I'll meet you at 9, but you have to promise not to try to  
play matchmaker for me, okay?" /These kids!/

"Oh, okay. But don't say I didn't try." Gwendolyn smiled at her  
again. That was the fourth - no, fifth - time they had tried to pair  
her up with some 'nice guy'.

"Hey, thanks for worrying about my love life, Miss Parker, but  
believe me, I'm fine with it as it is now." /Sure!/ She bid them  
goodbye and said: "Well, see you at 9."

As Scully entered her apartment, she noticed how tired she really  
was. /Should have just told 'em that another day would be better./  
But she thought that after a long shower she might just barely feel  
human again.

On her way to the bathroom she started up her computer, a routine she  
had had for the last two years. /They might have heard something from  
him./

That was her main goal. To help Mulder if he needed her. Since the  
day he had vanished, she had only had contact with him through the  
Gunmen. She had helped him in his search for his sister and the last  
time she had heard from him, he had been pretty close. But that had  
been over seven months ago.

A look towards the clock.

Seven months, eleven days, nine hours, 47 minutes and 36 seconds. No,  
she wasn't obsessed. Just worried.

What she missed most was talking to him directly. Whether by phone or  
in person, it didn't matter. But she wished she could have him  
respond immediately. She missed his voice over the phone or at her  
door saying the three words that had become so dear to her: "Scully,  
it's me.". But direct communication would have been way to dangerous  
for him as well as for her.

She remembered their last meeting. Every word, every look. She  
thought that that last night must have burned itself into her memory:

"Mulder, this is ridiculous! What makes you so sure you don't have  
false information this time? That they're not fooling you?" She could  
see he was trying to find a plausible explanation for her.

"Scully, it's the only thing that makes sense! Don't you see it? I  
have to find her before they come and get her! They'll kill her if  
I can't save her!"

"Mulder. You can carry on your search from here." He shook his head.  
"Or at least let me come with you. It's too dangerous for you to go  
alone."

"No, Scully, I won't take you with me. Just as you said, it's too  
dangerous. I won't let you risk everything. Not your life. I couldn't  
forgive myself if anything happened to you." He moved closer to her  
and took her small hand in his. "I need you to help me here. I need  
someone who supervises and manages everything. I need you as a  
contact to the rest of the world. But I won't endanger you. So our  
contact will be solely through the Gunmen. And don't you try and find  
me." He smiled, and she tried to smile back, failing miserably.

"Mulder..."

"Scully. I promise I'll be careful. I'll send you a message whenever  
I can." He gave her hand a last squeeze and then turned to go. Scully  
felt as if somebody had cut the ground from under her feet. As he  
opened the apartment door, she called him back.

"Mulder. Just promise you'll come back." Her words weren't much more  
than a whisper. But they were strong enough to be heard by him. With  
three long strides he was back at her side and gathering her into his  
arms. He hugged her so fiercely, she thought he might crush her, but  
he didn't. He whispered even quieter than she had:

"I promise. Oh, Scully, I promise."

When he had left she had felt as if she were drowning. And she  
couldn't rid herself of that feeling. She had had the chance to help  
him once in a while, but that had been all. After the X-Files had  
been closed down, she had been offered back the teaching job at  
Quantico. And she had accepted it gladly, resenting the thought of a  
new partner. Although her mom could probably sleep much better now -  
teaching was a lot less life-threatening profession - Scully missed  
her former work. And especially her former partner.

The Gunmen had been really kind. Frohike at his best. He had even  
offered to take some pictures of her and send them to Mulder. But she  
had been reluctant to let him and had asked: "You sure that it  
wouldn't just be for your own personal photo collection?" She had  
smiled to let him know she was joking.

"No need, Agent Scully, no need. I already have enough." He had  
leered at her with his eyebrows bobbing up and down. She had sighed  
and finally agreed to have him take some pictures. But when, after a  
few shots, he had asked her to unbutton the first few buttons on her  
blouse, she had cut off the session.

She emerged from the kitchen, clad in jeans and her hair still wet  
from the shower. Carrying a warmed up Chinese take-out dinner, she  
returned to the computer screen. Her email icon was blinking, telling  
her that she had new mail. She let her eyes sweep over them/work,  
work, work...I really ought to get a life... work, probably  
work, science magazine... ah, finally./ The email was from somebody  
called Leonard Gregory Matthews. They always used names with the  
initials 'LGM' - as in 'Lone GunMen' - so if her emails were hacked  
into, they wouldn't seem to be of much interest to anyone.

She was so exited that she forgot her take-out, she opened the mail  
and read it. It said:

"Sorry, beloved. Nothing new yet. Thanx for still respecting me in  
the morning, though. We'll keep in touch?"

Scully laughed in spite of the worry about her partner. These guys  
always thought of something to cheer her up. She sent back: "Sure,  
I'd be delighted. Thanx for the mail. Bye."

She logged out and continued on her abandoned dinner.

Gwendolyn Parker looked around the bar. It was a stuffy restaurant  
which was a little like a 50s American Diner with tacky red plastic  
seats, a music box and old poster ads on the wall. It used to be a  
normal bar with all it's dark and depressed customers. Since Berry  
bought and renovated it completely, the bar had become something like  
a college-people meeting place. But the owner didn't mind all those  
Quantico-students sitting there every night. Berry always jokingly  
said he never felt as safe when Gwen and her friends weren't sitting  
there.

Gwen herself enjoyed Quantico a lot. Although she had expected a few  
more female students to be there. But that deficit was compensated by  
Dana Scully. She definitely was the most intelligent of Gwen's  
professors. But that didn't keep her from being extremely pleasant.  
And, okay, yes, her field of study was more interesting than the  
other classes Gwen had to attend: Most of Dr. Scully's classes ended  
up as lectures about abnormal forensic evidence.

But she wondered why Doc Scully was the way she was. Gwen had heard  
the stories about the 'spooky' partner Dr. Scully had had before she  
had returned to Quantico. And there were a lot of rumors about the  
reason she was called 'The Ice Queen'. Gwen couldn't imagine why  
somebody would give Dr. Scully that name. She seemed to be so  
friendly and considerate with her students. But then again, Doc  
Scully had never been seen with a male escort to any of the quite  
frequent functions. And that kind of rumors usually made the rounds  
quite fast.

But Gwen thought of Scully in a different way than most other  
students did. Dr. Scully was an attractive, successful, popular and  
very competent agent and teacher. She had to compensate for the fact  
that she was a petite woman in an 'old boys' club'. And Gwen Parker  
knew, that Scully had more than enough men paying court to her. But  
she always told them to buzz off. Gwen had, since she had met Doc  
Scully, made it her goal to find the right man for her. She had  
arranged for her to meet some of her other professors, but Scully -  
although she seemed to get along with them just fine - hadn't shown  
any further interest in them.

That was when the subject of her thoughts came into view on the other  
side of the bar. Gwen again marveled at the fact that her teacher  
seemed much younger on these 'evenings out'. She wore faded jeans and  
a Quantico-sweatshirt. Hair pulled back into a ponytail, she looked  
at least ten years younger. Scully saw her and returned the welcoming  
smile. Then she seated herself with a sigh on the opposite side of  
the table.

The other six students welcomed her warmly and - in quite a different  
to the reaction than that shown to other professors - continued their  
conversations. And their ...um... NC-17 jokes. Jake was, as always,  
flirting with her. Scully flirted back, but they both - just like all  
the others - knew it was just for fun. The crazy thing about it was  
that Scully was talking along with them all as if she were just  
another student.

"So what did you guys have for dinner?" Scully asked.

"Um, well, I had a salad, but Ryan here had spaghetti with meatballs.  
Men are, and will always be, kids.", Gwen answered.

Scully laughed while Ryan only let out a snort of protest. Yep. She  
knew what Gwen was talking about. Many years of Mulder-sitting had  
probably prepared her quite well for parenthood. If she ever would  
come that far.

"And you, Doc?" Gwen queried.

"I had good ol' Chinese take-out," Scully answered with a smile.

"What? That kind of so-called food?" Gwen joked. They continued  
joking and laughing the night away.

An hour later Gwen had noticed a very handsome man in his late 30s  
entering the bar. Briefly, he had glanced over in their direction and  
then taken a seat on the other side of the room. But when a slow song  
started filling the room, he moved towards their table. Gwen noticed  
that he was fairly tall, at least compared to the people he passed on  
his way over. And as he came nearer she realized that he had nice but  
sad hazel/green eyes. /Too bad he's not my age. He's a really good-  
looking fellow./

Scully, sitting with her back to the dance floor, hadn't noticed him  
coming. She continued drawing smileys into the condensed water on her  
glass, when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, and a voice was  
saying: "May I have this dance, pretty lady?"

/That was Mulder's voice!/  
/No, it wasn't./  
/Sure it was./  
/It can't be. He's gone, remember?/  
/But what if he came back?/

Gwen was waiting for the mortal blow. Few men had tried something  
like that with their Doc and until now they had always gotten an  
earful of the almost proverbial Dr.-Scully-wrath. She even thought  
about calling an ambulance. That guy had gone rather far with 'pretty  
lady'. She didn't know how Dr. Scully would react.

Actually she didn't react at all. She was sitting there wide-eyed,  
staring off into space. Then, very slowly, she started turning her  
head. The man didn't seem to know in how much trouble he was, his  
smile growing even wider as their gazes met. Still not replying,  
Scully let herself be pulled up by this handsome stranger and brought  
away from the table.

Gwen didn't know what she should think about this turn of events. The  
'Ice Queen' was dancing very close with an absolute stranger! Doc  
Scully had rested her head against his chest and he had encircled her  
small frame with his arms. Oh, and yes, he was tall. She barely  
reached his chin. And the careful way he held her. As if she were the  
most precious thing in the world. The strange thing was, how these  
two total strangers moved in such harmony together. And they seemed  
so happy like that. They were both smiling contentedly with their  
eyes closed and only exchanged a whispered word or two.

Gwendolyn wondered if Dr. Scully might even know this guy. That would  
certainly explain a lot. But even though she raked her brain, she  
didn't recognize him. So her friends were her only chance.

"Hey, anybody know that guy she's dancing with?"

But the only answer was a solemn look and a shake of the head from  
everybody. Nobody knew him. They all seemed surprised.

On the other side of the room, Scully certainly was enjoying herself.  
It really was Mulder! She still couldn't quite believe it. And yet,  
here she was, dancing with him, holding him in her arms. No, she knew  
she wasn't hallucinating. She felt him, smelled him and heard him.

"Scully, close your mouth before something flies in." Actually not  
the nicest thing to say, but for Scully it was the most wonderful  
sound in the world.

Mulder was back.

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End of part one

Okay. This is gonna be a long one. We'll try and post them  
frequently but we can't promise. If you have any comments on he  
story, please send them to us.

Nessy & Cirglas

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If you're lonely  
And need a friend  
And troubles seem like  
they never end  
Just remember to keep the faith  
And love will be there to light the way

Anytime you need a friend  
I will be here  
You'll never be alone again  
So don't you fear  
Even if you're miles away  
I'm by your side  
So don't you ever be lonely  
Love will make it alright.

---- Mariah Carey (Anytime You Need A Friend)


	2. Coming Home 2

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Coming Home (2/6)  
Part two

by Nessy and Cirglas  
Disclaimer and everything you need to know is in part one, please  
read it beforehand. This chapter won't make much sense standing on  
it's own.

-------------------------------------------------------------

It really was Mulder! She still couldn't quite believe it. And yet,  
here she was, dancing with him, holding him in her arms. No, she knew  
she wasn't hallucinating. She felt him, smelled him and heard him.

"Scully, close your mouth before something flies in." Actually not  
the nicest thing to say, but for Scully it was the most wonderful  
sound in the world. Mulder was back.

Way too soon the song was over. Even before they stepped away from  
each other, Scully found Mulder's hand with her own and preceded him  
back to her students' table. Suddenly she felt a little embarrassed  
because of the faces that were looking expectantly at her.

"Um, listen, I'd like for you to meet someone." She waited a moment  
to gather her thoughts and sort out what she could tell them and what  
she'd rather not. "Well, this is Mulder. We used to work together.  
Mulder, these are some of my favorite students: Jack, Lisa, Matt,  
Gwen, Ryan, Chris and Daniel." She introduced them in the order in  
which they sat.

"Hey, we thought we were your favorite students, not just some of  
them." Jack's mock disappointment made her smile. As always he simply  
couldn't resist the opportunity to tease her. In that way he was a  
little like Mulder. And that had helped her a lot on some of the hard  
days when she had missed Mulder more than usual. /But now I have the  
original back./ Scully and Mulder slid onto the bench. While part of  
the conversation lit up again, Jack, instinctively knowing that this  
Mulder set a claim on their Doc, continued his joking:

"And you know, Doc, I am disappointed. I thought you would allow me  
the first dance." He noticed with interest Mulder's questioning side-  
way glance at her.

"Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry to disappoint you!" Scully replied and  
leaned her head against Mulder's shoulder smiling a happy smile. And  
to her surprise - but nevertheless delight - Mulder draped his arm  
around her shoulders. They really needed to talk later. But right now  
she just wanted to enjoy his company. She was overjoyed that this was  
possible once again after such a long time.

One hour - and millions of jokes and monster stories later - Scully's  
belly and face muscles ached from laughing so much. She hadn't  
laughed this much in years. Of course, her students were curious,  
especially about her former life, or so it seemed. And Mulder was  
more than happy to supply them with stories about it. They had  
accepted Mulder quite willingly which pleased her, although she could  
see that a few had recognized him as the 'Spooky Mulder' he was. But  
they really didn't seem to mind. Scully had to chuckle. /Now they  
don't think I'm that 'out there' anymore. Compared to Mulder I'm  
really tame./

Mulder leaned back and pulled Scully with him, his arm around her  
shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder again while he begun  
another anecdote. She was thrilled that he hadn't moved his arm from  
around her all evening.

"Well, you see, Scully was quite a skeptic and so my main goal during  
each and every case was to convince her of the 'extreme  
possibilities'. I had a hard time, though. Her stubbornness didn't  
even diminish in the least. She was the worst case of skepticism I  
had ever seen. But I knew that eventually her mind would open up." He  
turned his head and smiled down at her. "So I kept on trying. And  
although she'll never admit it, I think I succeeded, regardless how  
small the success was."

"Oh, really? And what about the times when my logic and skepticism  
saved you? And I do not only mean those horrible creatures we  
encountered. I mean Skinner."

Mulder smiled and Scully smiled back at him then he turned away  
again. "I told you she wouldn't admit it." She rolled her eyes and -  
overcome by happiness she felt frivolous - stuck her tongue out at  
Mulder. That caused another fit of laughter at the table. He shrugged  
apologetically at her and she ruffled his hair.

Scully couldn't remember the last time she had been this silly. It  
felt terrific! Usually when Mulder and she were together there had  
been a case to solve, a life to save or only the fear of crossing  
that invisible line between them... He pouted at her, for she knew  
perfectly well that he didn't like his hair to be ruffled. She had  
already thought of a worthy retort but then noticed the look in his  
eyes.

/How can someone's eyes show so many emotions?/ She saw so much in  
those deep hazel eyes: happiness, relief, friendship, protectiveness,  
sorrow, giddiness, compassion. All the emotions swirled around in the  
deep pools of brown and made her breath catch. She lost herself in  
his eyes, the sight of them bringing back long-forgotten memories of  
short moments between them.

Scully snapped back to reality and realized where they were. Her  
cheeks blushed slightly at being so easy to distract. Mulder smiled  
at her and turned his head to her students. She gave herself a mental  
shake. How could she have spaced out like that? But then she thought  
/To hell with caution. Mulder and I deseve some careless happiness./  
Determined to follow that plan she snuggled up a little closer to  
Mulder, and his grip tightened on her shoulders. She turned her head  
back towards the others. They were all grinning at them. /Hmmm.../

"So what did you think of our fave Doc here when you met her?" Jake  
just couldn't get enough information on them.

"I wondered how somebody so small could be so smart." That earned him  
a playful shove to his ribs. "Hey! That was a compliment!"

"Well, sorry. Although I did like the second part of it...", her  
voice trailed off. She had really missed that 'innocent look' of his;  
the one he threw her way when he knew all too well he had done  
something that would get him into trouble.

"What, you don't like 'shorty-jokes', Agent Scully?"

"No, Agent Mulder, I don't. And I don't know how many times you've  
bumped your head on one case or another. The bigger you are, the  
better the target you are. Your hospital records are undeniable  
proof."

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

Yep. She really had missed him.

But Scully started to notice her possessive streak. She started to  
get restless. She needed to talk to Mulder. Alone. Without all those  
listeners. There were so many questions to ask, things to tell him.  
And she wanted his undivided attention. /You haven't seen Mulder in  
over two years. And now he's been here no more than one and a half  
hours and he's already the center of your life again?/  
/Probably always was./

So she needed a plan. "Well, folks, Let's call it a day. Remember,  
there are classes tomorrow..." A sound of protest ran around the  
table as she lifted herself from her seat. "Sorry, but I'm getting  
old. And old people gotta go to bed early." With a look over at  
Mulder, "That goes for you, too, old man." And then, as an  
afterthought, "Can I drop you off anywhere, Mulder?"

"Yeah, Scully, that would be great." He stood up, ready to leae. They  
bid their 'good-byes' and left the bar.

Gwen followed the couple with her eyes - Mulder helped Scully into  
her trench and guided her to the door with a hand at the small of her  
back - until they stepped into the crisp winter nights' air.  
/They're cute together. Maybe my self-assigned task at finding Doc  
Scully a boyfriend won't be as hard as I had originally thought. Look  
like she's able to take care of herslef, afterall. And the only thing  
that really is 'spooky' about them, is how they act together. Like  
in total partnership. Yep. They belong together./  
/If I were her, I'd take him home with me./

She turned her head back just as Jack said: "Well, looks like my  
chances with our lovely Doc have come to an end. That guy stole her  
from me!"

Matt replied: "Sorry to tell you this, bud, but you never did have a  
chance with her. And he didn't steel anything that didn't want to be  
stolen. Anyway, he saw her first."

Jack feigned shocked and insulted face. They all reached over and  
ruffled his hair with sounds of "oooo"s and "poor Jack"s. And then  
roars of laughter rang through Berry's Bar.

"Mulder, I really can't believe you don't have a place to stay  
tonight." Scully was fumbling with the door lock. Why did that damn  
hallway light always have to be broken? She couldn't see what she was  
doing.

"Well, Scully, I knew I could stay here. I'm irresistible."

"No, you're incorrigible." /Ah, finally./

The door swung open and Scully stepped in. She set her purse and the  
keys down on the table next to the door.

"Do you want anything to dr--" Suddenly Mulder's arms encircled her  
waist and hugged her to him. Her door banged closed. He must have  
kicked it with quite a lot of force... or maybe just plain  
carelessness. Scully's arms had risen at the shock and the surprised  
gasp which had escaped, made him chuckle into her shoulder.

"Mulder?" What was going on?

She felt him shrug and then he simply answered: "Missed ya."

How could he 'confuse her speechless' with two words? Still, she  
had to smile at his unusual display of affection.

Then he turned her around, took her left hand carefully and gently  
pulled her towards the couch. Once there he sat down heavily and  
tugged on her arm - hard enough so that she lost her balance and,  
with another soft cry, she landed on his lap. His arms encircled her  
waist and she leaned back against his arm, and letting her legs  
dangle off the side of his.

Mulder smiled apologetically and asked: "So. How was life the last  
two years without me?"

"Unh-unh. That's not fair. You had your spies on me. And I'm sure  
Frohike just loved to give you the weekly report on my activities.  
But I don't know about anything that happened to you." She  
straightened his wild tie and smiled, eyes twinkling mischievously,  
"but I can see your taste hasn't changed a bit."

They smiled at each other. Mulder leaned back and took Scully with  
him, and losing her balance - again - she fell onto his shoulder.  
They both closed their eyes and tried to relax. She gave a contented  
sigh and gathered her thoughts.  
"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yeah, Scully, I finally did."

"And?"

"She's fine. She lives with her husband and her two children and a  
dog in a big house, has a good job, lots of friends and - what is  
most important to me - a future that I can be part of." And after a  
long pause: "I...I want you to meet her."

"Why do you want me to?"

"Because you helped me look for her all that time."

"Mulder, I didn't do anything. You found her. We barely had contact  
over the last two and a half years."

"I don't only mean that. I..." Somehow he didn't seem to find the  
right words. "You helped me all those years. Even before I went off  
to look for her two years ago. You... You kept me sane. Since the day  
we met."

Tears were springing to her eyes at his touching words. She needed  
something to change the subject or at least lighten the mood. "So,  
you no longer think I am a spy?", she joked.

"You are," he responded, she stared at him in shock, and he  
continued, "but, thankfully, I now know that you are on my side." He  
flashed her a big grin, then added quietly: "You know, I'm happy now,  
Scully."

"Mulder... I'm glad. I really am. And I'm sorry that I didn't believe  
you that last night."

"That's okay, Scully. It was a little unbelievable."

Scully nodded against his shoulder vehemently. He chuckled. After  
another long pause she asked quietly: "So... that means ... you won't  
go away again?"

He hugged her closer and replied: "You won't get rid of me that  
easily ever again. Promise." It was supposed to be a joke but her  
answer was a thoughtful nod.

"Um, Mulder? You want anything to drink?"

"Yeah, thanks. I'll take whatever you're having."

She got up and nodded smiling at him. She disappeared into the  
kitchen.

"So, how did you find out where I was tonight?"

"As you said, Scully, I sent spies on you." She reappeared with two  
cans of iced tea.

"Yeah? Did Frohike follow me all the time, so that when you came back  
you could find me right away?", she joked.

"Yeah, pretty much.", was his solemn reply. She swallowed the lump in  
her throat. /Maybe he did miss me as much as I missed him./ She went  
back over to him, plopped back down on his lap and handed him one of  
the cans. She ignored Mulder's astounded look, put her right arm  
around his neck, played with the hair at his temple and started  
swinging her legs.

"Oh sure, Scully, make yourself at home."

She took a swig of her tea, then smiled at him. "Hey, it's comfy  
here. And you made me sit here in the first place." After a short  
pause she added: "And this is MY home, not yours..."

Their gazes locked and they smiled at each other. Scully put her can  
onto the coffee table and surprised Mulder another time that night:  
She leaned back against his chest, rested her forehead against his  
temple and said with a voice so soft he almost couldn't understand:  
"I wanna sit here a little while longer. Please?"

"Sure, Scully. Whatever you want." He replied even quieter.

Mulder shifted to make himself more comfortable. He was so glad he  
was finally back again. He had missed her smile and her voice and her  
scent and her eyes and ... actually he had missed her, period. As  
he had entered that bar and spied her sitting there... His heart had  
doubled it's efforts at the mere sight of her copper hair. He had  
barely restrained himself from running towards her or at least  
calling out to her.

But he had taken the time to observe her, to refresh his memories of  
her. At first she had vividly talked with her students but when she  
had become quieter and that nice soft song had begun he had given up  
his resistance and had finally asked her to dance with him.

As she had turned her head and looked at him... he had lost himself  
immediately in those baby-blue irises. But when she had smiled at  
him... during their dance ...that small but so happy smile... he was  
certain his heart had missed a few beats. And even now, as her  
forehead rested against his temple, he still couldn't quite believe  
that he was back again.

It had been like coming home. And when you are gone a long time, you  
value your home much more than you would if you had never gone away  
in the first place. And he valued this time with Scully now. There  
were lots of things that needed his attention: Finding an apartment,  
a car, a job... But he just wanted to enjoy Scully's company now. He  
could take care of everything else tomorrow.

Mulder broke out of his reverie. He heard Scully's slow and steady  
breathing.

"Scully?", he asked softly. No answer. She was sleeping peacefully in  
his arms.

"You're getting old." He smiled.

He contemplated what he should do now. She felt good in his arms and  
he was afraid to wake her by moving her. But then he decided that  
sleeping in her own bed would be much better and more comfortable for  
her. So he got up - still holding her to his chest - and carried her  
to her queen-sized bed.

As he laid her down she wouldn't let go of his shirt. So he had to  
pry her fingers away. He tucked her in securely and made sure she was  
in a comfortable position. Then he seated himself on the corner of  
the mattress. He brushed a lock of fiery hair out of her face,  
smoothed her frown away with a finger and caressed her cheek with the  
back of his hand.

He leaned over and brushed his lips over her forehead: "Sweet dreams,  
Scully."

Mulder got up and went to the closet on the other side of the room.  
He took out what he needed. A pillow, a throw blanket. Everything was  
still where it used to be. Waiting for him to come back. /Well, I'm  
back now./ On his way back to the living room he left her door open.  
He knew it would have been nicer to allow her some privacy, but /I  
need to make sure everything's all right./ He moved the couch to the  
side a little so that he could keep an eye on her from where he  
slept.

Then he flopped down and enjoyed the view until he fell asleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------

End part 2

Ahhhhh... yes, yes, we know, a little sappy... but, hey, aren't they  
cute? -- Nessy & Cirglas

-------------------------------------------------------------

When the shadows are closing in  
And your spirit diminishing  
Just remember you're not alone  
And love will be there  
To guide you home.

If you just believe in me  
I will love you endlessly  
Take my hand  
Take me into your heart  
I'll be there forever baby  
I won't let go  
I'll never let go

---- Mariah Carey (Anytime You Need A Friend)


	3. Coming Home 3

Coming Home (3/6)  
Part three

by Nessy and Cirglas

Disclaimer and everything you need to know is in part one.  
Please read the other parts beforehand, this chapter won't make  
much sense standing on it's own. This has a little cursing in it,  
but nothing worse than what you see on the show.-------------------------------------------------------------

Mulder got up and went to the closet on the other side of the  
room. He took out what he needed. A pillow, a throw blanket.  
Everything still there where it used to be. Waiting for him to  
come back. /Well, I'm back now./ On his way back to the living  
room he left her door open. He knew it would have been nicer to  
allow her some privacy, but /I need to make sure everything's all  
right./ He moved the couch to the side a little so that he could  
see her from where he slept.

Then he flopped down and enjoyed the view until he fell asleep.

-------------

The next morning...  
Scully's alarm clock tore her out of a peaceful slumber. As always  
she hit the stop button without even opening her eyes. /Years of  
routine.../ Lazily she stretched and finally opened her eyes. And  
looked directly at Mulder's sleeping form on her couch.

/Um... I thought my couch was a few feet to the left yesterday./

/Well, I guess he made himself comfortable./

/Sure, fine, whatever./ Scully, too hungry to shower, pulled on  
the jeans and sweatshirt from yesterday. Then she padded to the  
kitchen on bare feet. She stuck some bagels into the oven and laid  
out the table for two. Fetching a warm bagel she headed back to  
the living room. She walked over to the couch. Mulder looked so  
contented lying there: his arms crossed behind his head, his feet  
dangling off the arm rest on the other side of the couch. /Since  
Mulder's back again, I guess I really need a bigger couch./

/Why not a bigger bed?/

/What?!/

/You heard me./

/I don't think I understood you right./

/I think you did./

Mulder stirred in his sleep and brought Scully out of her  
thoughts. She leaned over the sleeping Mulder and watched him  
sleep a few moments longer.

Finally, inspiration hit Scully and she dangled the toasted and  
deliciously smelling bagel under Mulder's nose.

After a few seconds he jerked his head forward and took a big bite  
out of it. At the same time a very awake Mulder grabbed her wrist  
and pulled her down on top of him. Scully's shocked gasp turned  
into giggling as he started tickling her.

"Please...Mulder...stop." She barely got those words out between  
giggles.

"Why? It's fun."

"Don't... I'm...ticklish."

"I wouldn't have noticed." He liked to hear her laugh like this.  
Such a rare opportunity. She seemed so much like a little girl.  
But to his disappointment she said:  
"I ...give ...up...uncle! ...UNCLE!" Since she had said the magic  
word he had to stop. After all you couldn't break rules. Only bend  
them a little.

Relieved that he had stopped, Scully took a few gulps of breath  
but was too exhausted to move. Mulder started to realize that  
Scully now did not at all seem like a little girl anymore, but  
instead very womanly. He felt her small, soft body, pressing  
against his, and heard her ragged breathing. His arms were still  
around her where he had tickled her. It would be so easy to say  
something that would make her face turn up in his direction. That  
would leave their faces very close. Then he would only have to  
touch his head forward just a little bit and their lips...

Scully seemed to notice in which direction his thoughts were  
heading because she cleared her throat and said.

"Um... breakfast is ready." Mulder dropped his hands from around  
her. /It would have been too good.../

Scully rolled off of him and headed for the kitchen without  
checking if he followed. Mulder had no choice but to do just that.

"Mulder, I'm really sorry I have to leave but you didn't even tell  
me you were going to show up anytime this year let alone this  
week. And I've got to teach my classes today."

Mulder looked at Scully while she ran around in her trench, purse  
under her elbow, looking for her keys and at the same time  
clipping on her earrings. She looked so silly he had to smile.  
"Don't worry about it, Scully, I can manage a few hours without  
you." /But not very long./ "By the way, looking for these?" He  
dangled her keys in the air.

"Oh, thanks, Mulder." She took the keys from his hand and gave him  
a quick peck on the cheek which really effected his equilibrium.  
"And I promise I won't be long." As she closed the door behind her  
she added: "Don't annoy the neighbors too much."

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

Then she was gone. And Mulder already began to feel extremely  
lonesome in the big apartment. /Nonsense. I'm a big boy./

He decided it was time to get started on something useful, so he  
walked over to the phone and called The Gunmen.

"Hello?" It was Byers.

"Turn off the tape, guys. It's me."

"Oh, okay." A soft click. "Hey, Mulder how are you doing?"

"Oh, fine. Is Frohike listening?"

Frohike's voice: "Sure, Mulder. Can I do anything for you? Oh, by  
the way, where did you sleep last night? I hope you didn't make a  
pass at the lovely Agent Scully."

"Matter of fact, yes, you can do something for me." He wisely  
ignored the other questions. "Could you bring my suitcase over to  
Scully's? I need some stuff out of it."

"Sure, I'll be there right away. I never refuse an offer to come  
to Scully's apartment."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, Frohike, but Scully isn't home."  
"In that case you have to wait another half an hour. I'm in the  
middle of something right now."

"Yeah, right. In the middle of 'Redheads Do It Better'?"

"45 minutes, Mulder."

"Okay, okay, I didn't say anything. See ya later."

15 minutes later, Mulder emerged from the shower feeling much  
worse. Well, the shower had been good, but he had seen something  
very unsettling in the bathroom. A man's razor and cologne. That  
had made him think. Now, looking through Scully's closet in search  
for a t-shirt, he found a man's sock and a tie. And the tie wasn't  
his. His had more... personality. And this one had somebody's  
initials on it. 'C.S.'

Dwelling on the fact that Scully must have had male company he  
waited for Frohike to show up.

Deling-dong!  
Mulder got up from the couch and went to the door. After checking  
if it really was Frohike he opened the door. /Finally./

"Hi, Mulder, here's your stuff. You sure Scully's not here?" He  
tried to look around Mulder's lean form.

But Mulder was not in a good mood. "What did you not tell me?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Frohike was confused.

Mulder held up his findings for Frohike's inspection.

"Where did you find that?" Frohike asked even more confused.  
"In her closet. You sure you told me everything there is about the  
two and a half years I was gone?" Mulder's eyes pierced the little  
gnome.

"Hey! The observation was 24 hours a day. She doesn't have a  
boyfriend. I'm sure, because ... okay, I offered to substitute  
myself to her since you weren't there. But she turned me down. So  
if not me, then nobody."

Mulder just had to smile at that. "I don't know if I'm reassured  
by your explanation."

"Well, anyway, I gotta go. See ya later today?" Frohike wanted to  
get out. Fast. A grumpy Mulder was not the best company.

"Um, no, I still have some ends to tie up."

"Oh, okay. Say 'hi' to Agent Scully for me."

Then Mulder closed the door behind Frohike.

"That makes 10.25."

"Here. Keep the rest."

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice day."

Mulder got out of the cab and stretched his aching muscles. He  
really needed to get a car; those back seats were torture. But he  
had a lot of things to do. First he needed a place to stay.

/How about Scully's place?/

And that car problem.

/Scully's car is nice./

Then he needed to take all his belongings out of the storage and  
into some new apartment.

/Scully'll help you./

And he needed some more clothes.

/Scully can pick them out./

Oh, yeah, and a job would be good, too.

/Scully will get you your old job back./

And maybe he should finally get a life.

/You have a life. Scully is your life./

Um... quite a few 'Scully's. That brought him to the last topic on  
his mental list. "What am I gonna do about Scully?"

He entered the mall and headed for the men's-wear store. How far  
would - could - he go with Scully? He wasn't quite as sure as  
Frohike that she didn't have a boyfriend. /For sure she must have  
a lot of offers. She's a remarkable person./ Maybe what he felt  
for her wasn't mutual. Did he interpret her ministrations wrong?  
Even before he had gone underground there had been something  
special between them. The sight of her always caused something to  
tingle inside him and made his mood lighten. Somehow every room  
became warmer, every group of people more friendly with her in it.

And how she had reacted to his being back... well let's say he had  
thought they just might be able to ... come clean on some feelings  
he was harboring towards her. He wondered why he had been so  
naive. After all he couldn't expect her to have waited for him to  
come back. It had been years, for crying out loud! And they  
hadn't even been together romantically before he left. So why had  
he been hoping for it - almost expected it - now?

Maybe it would even be better for her if she had found someone  
else. Because of him so much harm had been inflicted upon her. And  
if she was happy with someone else... well, he thought that he  
might be able to endure it if he were sure she was happy.

But he was positive that he would have to move to another city if  
that was the case. Or another continent. Or planet. He just  
wouldn't be able to bear the - however small the chance may be -  
sight... or actually even thought of Scully lying in someone  
else's arms every night, whispering endearments in his ear, crying  
out in the heat of passion...

Mulder was sitting rather lost on Scully's couch, not knowing what  
to do with the newly found time. He didn't have any experience  
with it, since when he used to be bored he rummaged around in the  
file cabinets and found himself and Scully a nice new case to  
which he could direct his attention.

And during the two and a half years he traveled around through the  
States he had had a lot of free time, but he hadn't just waited  
for something to happen. He had always had something to do or  
plan. Or fantasize about his 'Coming Home' to Scully. How she  
would be overjoyed by his return, how she would fall into his  
arms, kiss him silly and how they would celebrate his return  
properly... but all that had been wishful thinking. Anyway, it had  
kept him from being bored.

He hadn't waited for Scully to show up.

He realized with a start that that was exactly what his problem  
was. He was bored because Scully wasn't there. And, God, how he  
wanted her to be there.

He reached for another sunflower seed, popped it in his mouth,  
cracked the shell open with his teeth and spat the shell out and  
missed by a mile the bowl he had set up just for that purpose  
alone. /I better clean this mess up before Scully comes home./  
Hey, that sounded nice. Scully was coming home to him. A big grin  
spreading across his face, he contemplated the possibilities of  
those simple but promising words.

The telephone shook him out of his reverie. Thinking it might be  
Scully checking up on him he answered it.

"Dana Scully's residence."

A startled pause. Then: "May I speak to Dana please?"

/A male voice?!/ "Sorry, but she's still at work. Can I take a  
message?"

"Who are you, anyway?!", the friendly voice - suddenly not so  
friendly - demanded.

Mulder resisted the understandable urge to answer with 'her  
partner' out of habit and said, "A friend."

"Well, tell her I, Charles, will pick up the stuff I forgot the  
next time I'll be over."

/Charles?/ C.S. Those were the initials on the tie. 'The  
Boyfriend'. The horrible sense it made scared Mulder terribly. "O-  
oh, okay, I-I'll tell her as soon as she gets home."

"What are you doing in her apartment alone anyway?"

"I-I'm an old friend of hers. I'm visiting her...for a few days...  
um...", Mulder sputtered.

That made the man on the other end of the line speak up even  
louder: "Now, listen here, buddy. I don't know who you are and I  
don't really care. That is unless you hurt Dana in any way. Then  
I'll figure out who you are, where you live, and then I'll kill  
you. Slowly and painfully. Have a nice day."

The line went dead.

/Nice fellow./

/Careful. That guy was probably her boyfriend./

/One more reason to dislike the guy./

/But.../

That was when the door swung open and revealed a smiling but  
obviously tired Scully.

"Hey, Scully, what are you doing here?"

"'Scuse me, Mulder, but - as I reminded you yesterday - this is  
my apartment."

He smiled at the silliness of his own words. "No... I mean...  
sure... but what I meant was: Why are you home so early?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't trust you when you're bored. You  
always get into trouble then. Like going off on some stupid X-File  
without me or something."

"Why did you think I would be bored?"

She looked to the sunflower seed shells and back to him. "You  
were, weren't you?"

He looked to the floor sheepishly. "Yeah."

"See? And so I said I had a headache and sent my students home  
early. They sure didn't mind."

By now Scully had shrugged out of her trench and scarf - it was  
getting cold, even for November - and was beginning to clean up  
the mess he had made. He rushed to her side and tried to stop her  
with a touch to her forearm.

"Scully, stop. You don't have to do this. I'm taking advantage of  
your hospitality way too much already."

She didn't even turn towards him. Only said: "What do you mean?  
You've slept on the couch many times before. And you sure as hell  
weren't concerned about my hospitality then."

"Well, I just think it's about time I got an apartment of my own."  
This time she did look up. And Mulder wondered at her surprised  
and slightly disappointed expression. "Mulder, you don't have to  
move out yet. You can take your time and look for an apartment you  
really like. Until then you can stay here."

"But, Scully, I really don't want to bother..." /Here it goes./  
"With your boyfriend and everything."

He would have thought she hadn't heard him if it wasn't for that  
questioning eyebrow. Otherwise her body had frozen in that  
position.

"Um...well, Charles called...and..."

"Charlie?", she asked, not quite believing her ears.

"Yeah, and he sounded... um... quite... protective of you..."

A slow smile crept over her face. "He did, did he?"

"Yeah, and so...well, I guessed that..."

"You guessed that he was being protective because he loved me."

"Um...well, yes."

"Well, in that respect you are probably right."

She couldn't believe it was possible but his face fell even more.  
"Mulder. You ever hear of persons being referred to as brothers?"

He looked at her confused.

"Well, I always thought a guy with a photographic memory wouldn't  
forget something like that so easily, but... MULDER! Charlie is my  
younger brother! That ring a bell?"

Mulder's body slumped and embarrassment showed in his eyes along  
with something she realized was relief. "Why, Mulder, is that the  
green-eyed monster I see?" The humor in her voice didn't stop him  
from wincing at the thought he had let himself be deceived by  
jealousy. Embarrassed he plopped down on the couch. He buried his  
face in his hands ashamed of his deductions. Scully walked over to  
him and, standing in front of him, ruffled his hair. Unconsciously  
he leaned towards her and rested his head against her belly.

"Don't worry, Mulder, you still are the only man in my life." The  
smile of someone who had won the most precious thing in the world  
slowly lit his face - with only her belly seeing it.

"Does that mean I get to stay here for a while longer?", his  
muffled words met her ears.

Since he didn't look up at her face, he missed the answering grin.

Supper at Tony's had been great. It had been as if they had never  
been separated. The door opened and Scully and Mulder poured into  
her apartment talking and laughing. Just in time to hear her  
machine picking up the phone.

"Hi. You've reached the answering machine of Dana Scully. I'm  
sorry, but I'm not at home right now but if you leave ---"

"I'm here. Yes, please?" Scully had rushed over to the phone.

"Hi, Dana, It's Mom."

"Oh, hi, Mom."

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you doing?"

"Matter of fact, fine, Mom."

"Yes, I can hear that. Is there a particular reason for all that  
laughing?"

Scully looked over to Mulder. "Well, yes. Mom... Mulder's back."  
"Oh, honey, that's wonderful! We have to celebrate that. Why don't  
you two come over for dinner tonight? I'll fix something nice to  
eat."

"Oh, wait a sec." She looked over to Mulder. "Mom invited us for  
dinner tonight. You want to go?"

He frowned as he contemplated the question. Scully smiled at him,  
held the hand over the mouth piece and said: "Don't worry, neither  
Bill nor Charlie will be there."

He smiled at her. "Hey, nobody should ever be able to say I  
wouldn't grant your mom a wish." He smiled greedily. "And if she  
still cooks as good as she used to..."

"Okay. Mom? We'll be there... let's say at about seven?"

"Sure, honey, that's fine."

"Well, see you later, Mom."

"Yes, bye, Dana."

Scully hung up the phone and looked over at Mulder. He wore a  
silly grin on his face. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.  
He shrugged and said, "Guess I'll be called 'Fox' again from  
tonight on."

Scully smiled. She knew how he hated that name. But somehow he  
didn't mind her mom calling him that. Maybe as a compensation for  
his mom, who didn't seem to be too forthcoming with affection  
towards him.

The time until they had to leave for Mrs. Scully's was spent by  
making Mulder at home. Scully helped him put his stuff in 'his'  
side of the closet, shoe shelf, book shelf, her - um... their -  
desk and she even let him get his own password for her computer so  
he could use it. Although he probably knew hers anyway.

The only problem with making some space for him was in the  
bathroom. She swept the stuff in the cupboard over to one side and  
offered him the rest of the cupboard. That was about two and a  
half inches. /Women's beauty stuff take up a lot of room. I can't  
believe how much stuff she has. Her apartment is at least twice as  
big as mine used to be but she needs every square foot of it. She  
probably has many more good memories than I do. And so she has all  
these reminders of good times. Well, I'm starting to collect good  
memories now, too./

When they were finished with moving Mulder in, it was already  
about time to leave again.

As Margaret opened the door to greet Mulder and her daughter, the  
sight of those two together again almost brought tears to her  
eyes.

After giving Dana a quick hug she did the same with him and said:  
"It's good that you're back, Fox."

"Well, it was time for me to come home, Mrs. Scully."

She smiled knowingly at him and let them in to the house.

/Don't they realize how perfect they are for each other?/

Maggie noted with interest how Mulder helped Scully out of her  
coat and then hung it up for her. And that he got her chair for  
her when they sat down at the table. He was so sweet to Scully  
that Maggie even wondered if he would cut the meat into bite-size  
pieces for her daughter. But she knew - and apparently Mulder knew  
it, too - that Scully wouldn't let him continue with the pampering  
if it got too obvious. So he only watched Scully carefully as she  
cut her steak by herself.

Scully was really enjoying herself. All in all it was a wonderful  
evening. Well, except for Mulder. He was beginning to be a little  
annoying. And that smile on her mom's face was broadening with  
each of Mulder's gestures. But Mulder seemed to be getting  
distracted from his ministrations by the great meal her mom had  
offered them. Her suspicions were verified when Mulder said:

"Mrs. Scully. This is absolutely fabulous. I think I have never  
tasted anything halfway as delicious as this in my entire life!"

"Well, you ought to let Dana invite you for dinner more often  
then. I taught her everything I know. I'm sure her husband will be  
taken good care of someday."

Scully shot her mom 'A Look', one which her mom purposely ignored.

Over supper Maggie noticed that she had two very quiet visitors.  
Well, with words. Their silently spoken words with looks and  
touches were quite loud. Just like now. They were looking -  
staring - at each other and she could bet they weren't even  
listening to her. So she wanted to test that idea.

"You two already decided on the names of your children?" Scully's  
head whipped around and she stared at her mom. Had she heard what  
she thought she had? The smug grin on her mom's face said so.

"Mom!"

"I just wanted to see if you were listening. I'll stop. Promise."

Well, Maggie continued. At every opportunity she threw in some  
comment that let Scully blush in embarrassment and Mulder smile.  
Like:  
"Fox, I'm sure you'll someday make a great husband and father."

"You two look like two love-sick teenagers."

"Dana always says she doesn't have any time for a boyfriend.  
Right. I'm sure she'd make some time if the right guy asked."

But probably the worst comment was:  
"Stop bickering, you two. It almost sounds as if you were  
married."

It was so embarrassing! Her mom was trying to set them up! She  
would never live through this. So naturally, the first thing she  
did when out of her mom's house, she apologized for her mom's  
behavior.

His good-natured reply was: "Can you really cook that well? I  
might consider marrying you."

Scully was thankful for the darkness surrounding them, for he  
couldn't see the dark crimson creeping up her cheeks. But she  
wrapped herself in feigned exasperation: "Muulllderrrrrr..." He  
didn't seem to see past it and so she was rescued from a real  
reply.

-------------------------------------------------------------

End of part three

So this is love, mmh hmm umh hmm, so this is what makes life  
divine... oops, sorry... got a little carried away...yeah, we're  
working on the next part...promise...

-------------------------------------------------------------

We' ve known each other  
For a long, long time  
But I never really noticed  
all the magic in your eyes  
I've been around you  
A thousand times before  
And you've always been a friend to me  
But now I'm wanting more.

----- Mariah Carey (I've Been Thinking About You)


	4. Coming Home 4

Coming Home (4/6)  
Part four

by Nessy and Cirglas

Disclaimer and everything you need to know is in part  
one, please read the other parts beforehand. This chapter  
won't make much sense standing on it's own.

-------------------------------------------------------------

It was so embarrassing! Her mom was trying to set them up!  
She would never live through this. So naturally, the first  
thing she did when out of her mom's house, she apologized for  
her mom's behavior.

His good-natured reply was: "Can you really cook that well? I  
might consider marrying you."

Scully was thankful for the darkness surrounding them, for he  
couldn't see the dark crimson creeping up her cheeks. But she  
wrapped herself in false exasperation: "Muulllderrrrrr..." He  
didn't seem to see past it and so she was rescued from a real  
reply.

-----------

When they got home it was pretty late, just like the evening  
before. They got ready for bed in silent mutual agreement.  
Scully came out of her bedroom in way too big men's pajamas.  
Mulder smiled at the sight. She had her hair pulled back in a  
ponytail just like she had had it 24 hours ago, the first  
time he had seen her after such a long time. She curled up  
next to him on the sofa and they watched the news together.

When they turned off the TV Mulder looked over at her and  
caught her yawning.

"You're cute."

"I'm not cute." She looked up at him with a grin on her face.  
"I'm sexy!" Her forwardness had surprised him so much that  
her words made him laugh out laud; something he rarely did.

But the truth ringing in those words was undeniable. /That's  
my problem, Scully, that's my problem./

They settled onto their respective sleeping localities - she  
in her bed, he on the couch facing her - and she switched off  
the light. But Scully could hear him turning and twisting in  
hope of a comfortable position. Then his hesitant words  
reached her ears:

"Scully?"

"Hm?"

"You, um...think your mom likes me?"

"Sure, Mulder. Or do you think she offers me to every good-  
looking man passing by?" Scully smiled. If he still hadn't  
realized how her mom adored him...

"Scully?"

"Yes, Mulder?"

"Don't you wanna buy a longer couch?"

"Go to sleep, Mulder."

"Scully?"

"Yes?"

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, Mulder, and tired, too. So good night."

"'Night, Scully."

"Scully?"

"What?"

"Are you asleep already?"

"Well, I was."

"Oh, sorry."

"S'okay."

"'Night"

"Scully?"

"What now?"

"Sweet dreams."

Scully, although she badly wanted to be annoyed, had to feel  
sorry for him. That couch probably was very uncomfortable for  
his tall body, keeping him from finding any sleep.

"Mulder?"

"Yeah, Scully?"

"Come over here."

"Is that an invitation?", his humorous voice and soft chuckle  
filled the air. But she already heard his footsteps on her  
floor.

"I just don't want to deal with a cranky Mulder tomorrow,  
only because my couch was too short. One night on the couch  
may be okay. But as a doctor I can tell you: It really is not  
good for your back." She knew she was rationalizing, but she  
didn't care. His lanky form appeared next to the bed. She  
could barely make out his silhouette in the dim light that  
flowed in through the window. She tried to hide her uneasy  
feeling at sharing the bed with him by turning her head in  
the other direction. She knew she was attracted to him...

She felt the mattress shift under his weight and then he  
jokingly said:  
"But, Scully, don't try anything."

"Mulder. I'm not only a bundle of raging hormones. I can  
handle myself and resist you." /Maybe./

She turned back towards him and could see he was pouting and  
looking at her with that puppy-dog look. But she was able to  
stifle the smile that threatened to form on her face. She  
wouldn't let him win.

There was something in his eyes that made her think that she  
would soon find out just how irresistible he was. /Who are  
you kidding, Dana, you know he's irresistible./

After he had crawled under the blanket and she had turned her  
face away again, he leaned near to Scully's ear and  
whispered:  
"You sure?"

The blanket moved with the shiver he had made run through  
her. He was WAY too close! Finally she managed to ask in a  
shaky voice:  
"Mulder. What are you trying to do?"

He propped his head up on one arm and tucked a strand of her  
copper hair behind her ear. He looked at her innocently.  
"Nothing."

Scully let out a puff of air while saying, "Yeah, right."  
Mulder started massaging her shoulders, not seeming to want  
to stop tempting her.

Mulder's thoughts were heading in just that direction. He had  
finally decided that it was time that they admitted their  
feelings - at least to themselves. He was sure he loved  
Scully and he thought she might return his feelings. He knew  
that he had loved her for a long time now but somehow there  
had never been the right time to tell her, even if he had  
realized it himself.

After he had returned from his two and a half years of  
absence, the bond between them was still there. They even  
seemed to be closer than before, smiling more, touching more.  
That probably could be based in the fact that they weren't  
partners with the FBI anymore. The walls they had so  
carefully constructed between them almost weren't necessary  
now. And Mulder had to admit, he liked this new closeness. He  
didn't want to go back to how they were. So he was probably  
enjoying this back rub just as much as Scully was.

To his surprise Scully started humming softly. A sound that  
almost could be compared to a purr. When he realized that  
Scully was much too tired to react to his ministrations in  
the way he had, to his own surprise, - almost - hoped, Mulder  
slowed his hands and then gave her a soft finishing pat.

"'Night, Scully."

At that Scully turned around and suddenly Mulder found  
himself with an armful of his partner and best friend. An  
armful of Scully.

Her stroked her hair until he heard her breathing become slow  
and steady, then allowed himself a chaste kiss to her  
forehead. /We'll talk about this tomorrow./

And that was how they fell asleep: her head on his chest, his  
arms around her, legs tangled and their breaths mixed.

Mulder came out of sleep to a red blob of hair. /Hey, I think  
I know her!/ Even the view from the top was familiar. Only  
the lying on his back was strange. Unconsciously he resumed  
the caressing of her shoulder. He felt the irrational longing  
to see her face. The roman nose, the soft curve of her  
cheeks, the rosy lips he knew had to be as soft as they  
looked... /Mulder, get a grip!/ But nevertheless he wanted to  
look at her so much, that he had to give in to the desire. So  
he carefully turned her head and studied her features.

Deprived of his warmth she tried to snuggle still closer in  
her sleep. A lazy smile formed on his face in reaction while  
his arms tightened their hold on her. He marveled at the fact  
that someone so beautiful and fragile could at the same time  
be so strong. For Christ sakes! She was about as stubborn as  
he was! And every time he looked into her startling blue eyes  
he could see the incredible intelligence looming just behind.

Oh, how he had missed her! He had missed her smile, her  
skeptic eyebrow, her auburn hair and the clean, sunshiny  
scent that she had. He had missed touching her arm to get her  
attention, touching the small of her back to guide her down a  
hall or through a door. And when he got the chance to cradle  
her cheek in his palm...

He had missed those rare but electrifying embraces they had  
shared over the last years. But those hugs had always been  
born out of great pain and fear: Their first case... after he  
had checked the mosquito bites; when he had rescued her from  
Pfaster; after he had returned from Mexico and then Russia,  
when his mom had been in the hospital; after Penny Northern  
had died... and those rare times he got to give her a kiss...  
even if it only was on the cheek, forehead or hand... he had  
longed for those moments during his absence.

He had recalled them as often as he could. But those thoughts  
had not particularly improved his mood. Sometimes the need to  
simply hear her voice had been so overwhelming that he had  
called her only to hear her softly spoken words on the  
answering machine.

Scully stirred restlessly and he realized with disappointment  
that his quiet musings were at an end. She awoke and favored  
him with a bright smile.

"So...was this more comfortable than the couch?"

"Sure. I had a nice and warm blanket." He joked. That earned  
him a playful shove to his ribs.

Scully had enjoyed waking up next to him. In fact she enjoyed  
being next to him, period. Trying to postpone getting up she  
asked:  
"Well, what's the plan for today?"

"Oh, well, since it's Saturday we probably should look  
whether there are any apartment ads in the paper that sound  
good enough to check out personally. And then I'd like to go  
over to the Gunmen. I need to get updated on some stuff."

Scully interrupted him: "You probably just want your video  
collection back which you loaned to Frohike."

Mulder's eyes widened in shock and he feigned a mortal blow  
to his heart. "Nah. But I don't think Frohike would give them  
back anyway."

"And how about we rent a movie tonight?"

"Sure. Fine with me." Having settled that, the inevitable had  
come. They had to get up. Scully was still cradled in his  
arms and Mulder had a hard time letting go of her. Scully  
reluctantly untangled herself from him and got up. /Life can  
be so cruel.../

Scully looked up from her page of the newspaper ads. Across  
from her Mulder sat on the floor, too, legs crossed, reading  
glasses on, with a frown marring his handsome features.  
"What's wrong, Mulder?"

"I just can't seem to find an acceptable apartment: This  
one's too far away from the city. And this one is across the  
town from you. This one is too expensive and these two are on  
the sixth floor without an elevator."

"Well, the same here: Too expensive, not the best  
neighborhood, way too far away, and with this one they don't  
even want pets as tiny as fish." It was really strange. If  
one of them found an apartment that seemed to be okay, the  
other one was sure to find some kind of fault with it.

"Well, sorry, Scully, but it looks like I'll just have to  
stay a while longer."

"Since you moved your stuff in already, I guess I'll just  
have to put up with you, right?" But her heart made a happy  
flip-flop at the thought.

The Lone Gunmen were paranoid as always, bombarding Mulder  
and Scully with their newest theories. And while Byers and  
Langly tried to convince Scully that even the Superbowl had  
been manipulated by the government, Frohike eyed - leered at  
- Scully in a for Mulder terribly annoying way. When Mulder  
couldn't take it anymore, he possessively draped his arm  
around Scully's shoulders.

A few feet away, Frohike started drawing something on a sheet  
of paper. After a minute he set the pen aside and held up the  
sheet for Mulder's inspection:  
'I get the message!', it said, and Mulder had to smile at the  
absurdity of the situation. He was being possessive of  
Scully. And he had been so obvious that Frohike had relented.  
/Luckily, Scully didn't notice. She would've killed me./

But Scully didn't seem to notice his sudden nearness. Or at  
least she didn't seem to mind it. She was discussing  
something with the other two Gunmen and seemed to be  
concentrated on only that. The fact that her attention wasn't  
focused on him made him jealous but, as he heard the word "X-  
files", he decided it might be a good idea to follow the  
conversation a little more closely.

"So they're closed down right now?", Scully was asking.

"Yeah, but they were open a year ago or so. But they closed  
'em again when Skinner decided the team was too influenced by  
trying to improve their career. So now they're waiting until  
someone else applies for the job... By the way, I think you  
two would be perfect for it." Byers smiled at Mulder first  
and then at Scully.

Mulder tightened his arm around her shoulders and leaned  
down, close to her face.

"Why, Scully, I think someone's trying to set us up."

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, Mulder, and with my mother that  
makes two."

"And?" He couldn't keep the eagerness out of his voice.

"And what?"

"Would you come back to the X-files with me?"

She turned around and flung herself in his arms. "I thought  
you'd never ask!"

So that matter was decided. First thing Monday morning they  
would talk to Skinner and ask to get the X-files back.  
Mulder's heart beat a little faster at the thought. That he  
finally had Scully back still felt like a dream. But now they  
might have the chance to work together again. As partners at  
the X-files division.

Almost too good to be true.

Upon arriving back at Scully's apartment, Mulder forbid her  
to even step into the kitchen. He had promised to cook. So  
she had resisted the urge to rescue her kitchen and made  
herself comfortable on the couch in front of the TV.

As Mulder came out of the kitchen to get her because dinner  
was just about ready, he stopped dead in his tracks when he  
saw her there, lying on the couch with her feet propped up on  
one armrest - she was just the right size for lying there -,  
chewing on her lower lip. She still wore her sweatshirt and  
jeans but she wouldn't have looked any better for him, had  
she worn anything else.

She looked so peaceful, even happy, and Mulder wished he  
could make her feel this way more often. Then, right there,  
he promised himself that even if they worked together on the  
X-Files again, his first concern would be to make her happy.  
He would never let anything come between them again. He  
wanted to be close to her, wanted to be near her for the rest  
of his life. Without her, life was just not worth living. At  
that moment he made a decision, just like the evening before:  
This was the evening. He was going to tell her that he loved  
her.

He had made dinner for them. They had rented a movie and they  
were going to spend another evening together. That seemed  
like the right time to tell her that he didn't want his own  
apartment. He wanted to stay here. With her. Forever.

"Earth to Mulder, earth to Mulder. Anybody home?" Scully had  
caught him staring. He dipped his head sheepishly and tried  
to evade her gaze.

"Um... Dinner's ready." He finally managed to meet her eyes  
again.

She smiled at him and, holding his gaze, she turned off the  
TV and walked over to the table he had already set and  
decorated with two candles. She sat down and, since he still  
hadn't moved, she asked:

"So? Is it ready or not?" She smiled a secret smile as Mulder  
hurried off into the kitchen to get the food. It was fun to  
be looked at like that. Especially by him. It made her  
stomach feel as if she had hundreds of butterflies in it. And  
she really liked that feeling.

"This is absolutely ridiculous!" Scully exclaimed as the two  
characters on the TV declared their undying love for each  
other. "Real life is NOT like that. This is so... so...  
MOVIE!" Scully started laughing hysterically. It was just too  
ridiculous.

"Hey, Scully, you picked the movie. It's your own fault."

Scully turned towards him and when her laughter ebbed off a  
little, said: "Yeah, but I hadn't seen it before, so I  
couldn't have known it was so silly."

Mulder's frown finally stopped her from laughing all  
together.

"Scully... is it that impossible for two people who love each  
other to become involved against better judgment?"  
Scully gazed back at the TV screen where the two lovebirds  
were in the middle of a kissing marathon. /Come on, say  
something./ "No. It's the way they portray it. It's too  
sappy. Too unrealistic. People meet over work, fall in love  
but never act on it and then, apropos of nothing, they say 'I  
love you' and everything turns out to be okay. A typical  
Hollywood happy ending. Don't you think it's a bit too  
unbelievable?" /You don't think so, so why should he?/

Since Mulder didn't reply, Scully turned her head and looked  
at him again. She shrugged at him and tried to smile but it  
was a feeble attempt. She hadn't wanted to sound so  
unromantic. It was just that the irony of the situation had  
gotten to her. They were watching a romantic movie about  
hidden and suppressed feelings. It was like looking into a  
mirror. But of course she couldn't let him know that she felt  
that way about him.

He was still frowning at her and biting on his lower lip.  
Suddenly she noticed how close their faces had become. Their  
gazes locked, they looked at each other for what seemed like  
an eternity. /I want to loose myself in his eyes./ Scully  
moved her head just a tad more towards him. It wasn't even  
purposefully. It just seemed as if she was being pulled to  
him like metal to a magnet. Not that she wanted to resist...

But then she thought better of it. She gathered all her  
strength and hesitated. But he took up her action and dipped  
his head forward the rest of the way instead. When their  
mouths were within a hair's breadth of each other, she was  
lost. Although she honestly tried, Scully couldn't figure out  
a good reason why they shouldn't share a small kiss. It  
wasn't as if they had the bureau to answer to anymore. Not  
that they had ever followed bureau protocol. She smiled and  
whispered:

"But I want to believe..."

That was it. That had been all it had taken to get these two  
souls to join. These two halves of a whole. They met in a  
kiss so sweet and innocent and at the same time it was the  
renewal and deepening of something they had had before. The  
Kiss was only a soft brushing, nipping of lips. They were  
merely sampling each other. Getting to know each other in a  
way they had only dreamed of before. But what they had been  
before, hadn't been enough for them anymore. It had been  
time. Time to be fully aware of the feelings they had for  
each other. Feelings they were now able to explore and fully  
enjoy.

Mulder pulled away slightly, just enough to look at her. When  
their lips lost contact her eyes opened slowly and the love  
that shone there made Mulder forget how to breathe. Her mouth  
curved into a smile and her eyes reflected the happiness she  
felt inside. Her smile was infectious and he started grinning  
like an idiot. But hey, who cared? The woman he loved with  
every fiber of his being loved him back. That had to be  
celebrated properly.

That celebration, of course, being a second kiss. So Mulder  
leaned forward again and touched his lips to hers. He  
realized that she eagerly returned the kiss and that made him  
glad he had finally had the courage to take this next step.

The kiss grew more urgent and more passionate by the second.  
As Mulder finally deepened the kiss, his arms encircled her  
waist and Scully's snaked around his neck. They tried every  
angle for better access. Their lips meshed and sought and  
meshed. And fought a lovely battle. But in this fight they  
were both winners. As an old saying has the kindness of  
reminding us: 'Make love, not war.' And that's just what they  
did...

-------------------------------------------------------------

End part four

The plot is thickening... Which plot?

The statement :"I'm not cute, I'm sexy!" belongs to Caro, a  
friend of ours. But she IS cute...


	5. Coming Home 5

Coming Home (5/6)  
Part five

by Nessy and Cirglas

Disclaimer and everything you need to know is in part  
one, please read the other parts beforehand. This chapter  
won't make much sense standing on it's own.

-------------------------------------------------------------

As Mulder finally deepened the kiss, his arms encircled her waist  
and Scully's snaked around his neck. They tried every angle for  
better access. Their lips meshed and sought and meshed. And  
fought a lovely battle. But in this fight they were both winners.  
As an old saying has the kindness of reminding us: 'Make love, not  
war.' And that's just what they did...

--------

Scully felt her breathing and pulse slowing down again, just like  
her partner's. They lay there comfortable amidst the twisted  
covers, she half on top of him, her leg draped over one of his, head  
on his collar bone, tucked securely under his chin, both pairs of  
eyes closed, his one hand resting lightly on her hip, his other  
cradling her small left hand and holding it to his heart.

Their love-making had been... well, was there a word for it?  
Special didn't even come close, but it had been special. They had  
sought and given pleasure to each other passionately, but tenderly.  
He had been so careful, so loving. So extremely eager to please her.  
She loved him more than ever.

"I love you." Mulder blurted out, as if reading her mind.

Scully had to chuckle, "Yep, I heard you."

Mulder had been rather enthusiastic about telling - yelling - her  
just how much he loved her.

After a short hesitation Scully asked: "Mulder, where do we go from  
here?"

"I'm a little too tired to go anywhere right now." Mulder said.  
Scully sighed. She usually liked his humor but when she needed  
an answer it was tiring and annoying.

Mulder noticed her irritation and, sighing audibly before meeting  
her gaze, he went on: "I have to admit, I'm a little worried about  
you. It's dangerous enough to be my friend, or even to work with  
me, as you know. As a lover... You already were the most important  
person in my life before tonight. And They know that. I really don't  
want them to hurt you any more. You'd be safer being as far away  
from me as you can get." Before she could contradict him, he  
continued, "No, listen to me, Scully. Ever since you met me you  
had to go through all those horrible things. I really don't know why  
you stayed with me all this time. It would probably be better if I left  
you. You deserve better."

Scully's lips started trembling but she willed her voice to sound  
strong as she pushed herself up so she could look him fully in the  
eyes. "What are you trying to say? No, Mulder, you can't leave me now.  
I - WE - have waited so long for this. This is right. And I don't care  
what anybody else says or thinks. I stayed because I loved you,  
because I still love you. And I wanted to find the truth. So I stayed.  
Stop punishing yourself for something that's not your fault. We're  
stronger together. That's what they know. Together we can stop  
them. We won't stand a chance, though, if we're apart. Please, don't  
leave me, I don't want it to be over before it really starts. I don't  
want to be without you anymore."

Mulder bent his head down and kissed the top of her head.  
"I'm glad that's how you feel, Scully, 'cause to tell you the truth, I  
really don't wanna go. I just think it might be better for you." He  
wanted to make light of the dark mood that had surrounded them.  
He chuckled and pulled her close. "Anyway, I had to say that for  
the record. Had to give you one more chance to back out."

She apparently read his mind, for a forced chuckle joined his.  
Scully rested her head on his collar bone again. The joking had helped.  
She felt a little more at ease.

"You know what?", Mulder asked after a long pause.

"What?" She replyed without opening her eyes.

"Your brother Bill is gonna kill me."

"Nah. He knows I'm fully capable of dealing with you myself."

"Now I'm relieved."

"You should be. 'Cause he'd get Charlie to help."

He chuckled. "Well, at least your mom likes me."

"Guess your charm only works with women."

"Glad it worked with you."

Scully's eyes opened. She wasn't quite used to these open  
'affections' from him yet. "I am too."

"I love you, Scully," he repeated from before.

"I love you right back," she answered and soon they were  
contentedly dreaming away, snuggling even closer together in sleep.

Scully woke to a cool rush of air at her back. She pulled the covers  
tighter around her, but still couldn't shake the feeling that she was  
cold and missing something important. And it didn't take long for  
her to realize what it was: Mulder.

Her eyes flew open and she looked around her. He was gone.  
/How could he do that to me?/ she thought. /Did he change his mind?  
I thought I had convinced him... This is so typical Mulder! Too  
overprotective to be good for him - or me, for that matter./

Sighing in frustration, she shoved back the covers and jumped out  
of bed, about to look for him, when she noticed she was still cold  
and naked from head to toe. So she went over and picked up  
Mulder's shirt from the floor. Wondering why Mulder would have  
left his shirt here but figuring he had simply been too busy with  
running for the hills, she started to pull it on.

"Oh, please don't put it on. I like you just the way you are."  
She turned her head and there he was, standing in the door with a  
tray in his hands. She ran over to him and flung herself into his  
arms. She was so relieved.

Having to rescue the breakfast on the tray, Mulder lifted it up in  
the air, above her head and over it, so arms and tray encircled her.  
"Hey, hey, hey... shhhh... what's wrong?"

"Oh, Mulder, I thought you were gone, that you had changed your  
mind." Scully mumbled into his bare chest.

Mulder was really shocked that she could think something like that.  
"Come on. You didn't really think that, did you?"

She shook her head. "No. It's just... I woke up and you weren't there.  
And because of what you said yesterday..."

"Don't worry, Scully. I won't go. I don't think I could live without  
you anymore. I tried to for two years and believe me, it really was  
not a bed of roses." When she had collected herself he lifted the  
tray from around her and guided her back to the bed.

"I'm sorry. I should have known better.", she admitted.

"Don't worry about it, Scully, you were probably still half asleep.  
I'm sorry I frightened you yesterday. I'm just worried about you, that's  
all."

Scully crawled back under the covers and he set the tray on her lap,  
then moved to sit beside her, holding her close. That was when she  
first noticed the red rose lying on the tray. She felt so silly in that  
moment. She had mistrusted him and he had made breakfast,  
being so sweet and buying her a rose.

Mulder started feeding her the breakfast he had made and she was  
really enjoying herself.

"Be careful, Mulder. You'll spoil me."

"Oh, Scully, I don't mind spoiling you. At least that'll keep you away  
from all the other guys."

They both laughed and Scully said: "Oh, don't you worry. I'll settle  
for nothing but the best."

"Me neither," Mulder said and they grinned at each other.

"So you'll keep your eyes to yourself when we're back at the office?",  
she queried.

"No I won't." Mulder smiled at her pout and frown. "I just don't think  
I can stop looking at you, even if that causes a few strange looks from  
our fellow agents."

Scully beamed at him. Then she started nibbling on her bottom lip.  
He was just starting to lean down to let his teeth take over when she  
started talking again. "Which reminds me. What are we going to tell  
Skinner? I mean... about us?"

He straightened again. "That we'll work together on the X-Files or  
neither of us will. That we became involved and that we won't go  
back to being merely friends just because of that stupid bureau policy,"  
Mulder said, conveying the depth of his emotions.

"And what if he won't let us work together?"

"Then I'll start teaching at Quantico, too. Listen, Scully, I've had  
some time to think. I won't give this - US - up for anything in the world.  
And I don't want to have to hide how happy we are. I want the whole  
world to know that the most beautiful, intelligent, wonderful 'Doc'  
loves me."

She pulled his head down to hers and just before their lips touched  
she whispered: "I do, Mulder. I do love you. So much."

And soon breakfast was forgotten and they were filled with a  
different kind of hunger.

They had gotten up and showered together, Mulder resisting the  
almost overwhelming urge to take a VERY LONG 'shower' with a  
VERY wet and sexy Scully right there in the shower cabin. But he held  
himself back. Though he had had to pretend that the water was ice cold.

Right now she was still in the bathroom while he was watching a  
basketball game on TV. When she came out into the living room  
she smiled at the sight of him. He looked cute. Like a little boy  
concentrating on something, but very relaxed at the same time.  
He was pouting. His favorite team was probably loosing again.

"Mulder?"

"Wait a sec, Scully. The game's really exiting."

/WHAT? Did he just say 'Wait a sec' to me? Well, sorry to tell you  
'Mister' but you never say 'Wait a sec' to me!/

Scully knew about the power of woman's weapons and sauntered  
over to the couch and sat down beside him. She let his shirt ride up  
her thigh a little more than what would have been normal. But he  
didn't seem to notice her. He was entirely captivated by the game.  
/Here comes plan B./

She leaned in close to him and whispered huskily into his ear.  
"You trying to get rid of me?", she said, trying to sound as sexy as  
possible.

That got his attention. He slowly turned his head and grinned at her.

Oh, he had noticed her all right! She looked good in his shirt -  
especially because the shirt showed a lot of leg. He liked it when  
she wore his clothes. It had always been a way of staking his claim.  
The first time she had had to wear his sweatshirt was imprinted in  
his photographic memory:

Her blouse had been soaked after they had had to run through the  
pouring rain. So he had loaned her his favorite Nicks sweatshirt.  
He had felt closer to her then, when looking at her in his clothes  
and afterwards, too, when she had already left and he had pulled on  
the sweatshirt himself. Her fragrance still on the material, he had  
savored that fine scent with a deep breath and not had taken the  
shirt off for the rest of the weekend.

Even much later, every time he looked at the shirt he saw her  
sitting in it on his couch, hair tousled, eyes shining with laughter  
about some comment he had made about how she looked like a  
drowned rat. They had sat there together and worked but he had  
been distracted by the way she looked. She had looked so small  
and delicate with the big shirt on. But nonetheless incredibly sexy.

But now, as he looked at her in his white shirt, he only saw a  
beautiful, intelligent woman. And this particular beautiful,  
intelligent woman was his. It was as if his shirt confirmed  
what he had felt all along: That they belonged together.

"And, Scully? What am I supposed to wear, if you start  
wearing my clothes?"

"Well, I'd let you wear some of mine... but they wouldn't fit you; and  
secondly, I like you better the way you are: in your black silk boxers."

Scully enjoyed teasing Mulder. He smiled at her and that told her  
volumes. And she realized with great satisfaction that now he had  
completely forgotten about the basketball game. /Found something  
more interesting to look at, huh?/ She carefully took hold of  
the remote control and turned off the TV. He didn't even notice.

The rest of the lazy day was spent on that couch, simply enjoying  
their nearness, cuddling up and kissing. Talking about anything and  
everything. Making out like two teenagers. Laughing, joking,  
imagining how their life might be in a couple of months. Then  
they took a nap, Scully half covering Mulder.

For dinner they had planned something really nice. Mulder  
wanted to take her out to a quiet restaurant. They even dressed  
up. It was a special evening. Their 24 hour anniversary and their  
first evening out together. REALLY together. That had to be  
celebrated.

So Mulder waited in one of his new suits for the love of his life to  
show up from behind her bedroom door. When she finally  
emerged from her room Mulder almost let the book fall down  
he had been reading to calm - ignore - his impatience. Not that  
it had helped. There she stood, the most beautiful woman in the  
world, in a midnight-blue, floor-length, slightly bell-cut, satin  
dress. It had a slit up the right side which reached her upper thigh.  
It was very low cut with a lovely shaped neckline and thin straps  
over her shoulders.

She wore high-heeled shoes which matched the dress in color and  
gloss. Her hair had been swept up, tendrils of copper framing her  
face. The brightness of her jewelry reflected in her startling blue  
eyes. Her beauty alone would have paralyzed every man in the  
whole universe. But, as it was, what made Mulder's heart beat  
faster than his 'Doctor Scully' would have thought was good  
for him, was the bright smile on her face.

Scully's smile widened as she saw Mulder's reaction to her outfit.  
He had been sitting on the couch but at her footfall had risen from  
it. Now he was standing across from her and staring at her over the  
back of the couch. Eyes, opened so wide that only the openness of  
his mouth could surpass them, sweeping up and down her breathtaking  
outfit.

Scully walked around the couch and took his outstretched hand  
but otherwise pretended that nothing special was going on.  
Mulder broke out of his daze, shut his mouth and smiled at her.  
He cleared his throat and said:  
"Shall we go, Ma'am?"

Scully nodded her agreement and said: "So... Where is my  
good-looking guy taking me tonight?"

"I said it'd be a surprise, Scully. As in 'not knowing  
beforehand'."

Scully, caught off guard, laughed. "Oh, Mulder. I missed  
you." Then, as if remembering something she had almost  
forgotten, she closed the remaining distance between them and  
said:  
"Welcome home, Mulder."

They shared a small kiss. Then they both turned to the door.  
Mulder opened it and guided her through with his hand on the  
small of her back. Yeah, He was home. For good.

--------------

End part five

Yeah, okay, it's a little short, but hey... At least the  
editing didn't take forever. ;)

Hey, did someone say feedback? PLLLLEEEEAAAASSSEEE!!  
Pretty please with sugar on top? We'll even write back! ;)

-------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know what brought us here  
Something in the stars said you and me  
I don't know where this feeling comes from  
Surely it was meant to be  
For I have known you even in my dreams  
My eyes are open, my heart can see

As sure as stars light the midnight sky  
As sure as children wonder why  
As sure as newborn babies cry  
I was born to give my love to you  
Born to give my love to you

Heaven must be holding on  
To all the love I'm feeling now  
Here we are this is the moment  
I believe it's our turn somehow  
Hearts together, hands across the night  
One forever, finally in sight

I was born to give my love to you  
---- Martina McBride (Born to Give My Love to You)


	6. Coming Home 6

Coming Home (6/6)  
Part six

by Nessy and Cirglas

Disclaimer and everything you need to know is in part  
one, please read the other parts beforehand. This chapter  
won't make much sense standing on it's own.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"So... Where is my good-looking guy taking me tonight?"

"I said it'd be a surprise, Scully. As in 'not knowing  
beforehand'."

Scully, caught off guard, laughed. "Oh, Mulder. I missed  
you." Then, as if remembering something she had almost  
forgotten, she closed the remaining distance between them and  
said:  
"Welcome home, Mulder."

They shared a small kiss. Then they both turned to the door.  
Mulder opened it and guided her through with his hand on the  
small of her back. Yeah, He was home. For good.

--------

Scully and Mulder walked down the hall of her apartment  
building. She leading the way, he towering over her, still  
with the hand in the place just made for it, the small of her  
back. As they approached the front door Mulder passed her  
with a few quick strides and reached for the door knob.  
Opening the door he grinned at her as she walked through it.

Okay, Mulder was being extra charming. And trying to humor  
her. She could let him get away with it. As long as he didn't  
overdo it. At her car Scully rummaged around in her purse,  
trying to find her keys. Once again Mulder dangled them in  
front of her, a broad smile decorating his handsome features.

"Unh, unh, unh-unh," he hummed in a sing-songy voice. "I'm  
driving tonight. You just sit back and relax."

"Relax? When you're driving? You probably want to drive us to  
some uncharted US Air Force base or some hide out of some  
mutant. You sure we're going out to dinner, Mulder?"

"Come on, Scully, would I lie about that when I haven't eaten  
for three hours?"

"Well, you're right. Didn't think of that." Their gazes  
locked and a wide grin spread over Mulder's face. Scully had  
trouble not to smile herself, but somehow managed to simply  
display her killer-eyebrow.

Mulder held the door open for her once again then turned to  
go over to the driver's side. After changing the seats in the  
respective way - he sliding his all the way back, she moving  
hers up to the front - he started the engine.

The ride was rather uneventful, other than that it was  
relatively quiet. But not uncomfortably quiet. More like "We  
have that special bond that doesn't need words anyway"-  
quiet. Upon their arrival Scully's eyes widened. It was a  
very expensive French restaurant which probably didn't even  
have prices on the menu.

"Mulder?"

That unspoken communication-thing kicked in and he knew what  
she had meant to ask.

"You know, I got tired of all that Chinese and Italian  
takeout we always seem to have. Need to get a little variety  
into our culinary habits."

They climbed the few steps to the entrance of the restaurant.  
Suddenly the heel of Scully's shoe tangled in her dress and  
she stumbled. Thanks to Mulder's quick reaction she didn't  
fall. Well, she did. But only into his arms.

Mulder chuckled. "Hey, Scully. We haven't even had any wine,  
yet."

He didn't pull his arm from around her shoulders. Scully  
joined into his chuckling, then hooked her arm around his  
waist, and replied:

"Well, I guess I'm not used to high heels and long dresses  
any more. My days of partying are long over."

"What? You saying you're too old for parties? Oh, Scully, the  
fun has just barely begun."

By now they had made their way through the door and stood  
just inside the restaurant. She looked up to him and he met  
her gaze with his. Their gazes locked and tied a tight knot.  
With a few safety locks and chains wrapped around it. The  
laughing soon forgotten they lost themselves in the eyes of  
one another.

"Ahem?"

They jumped and turned their heads to the intruder. The  
waiter was smiling at them. "Bonsoir, une table pour deux?"

"Yes please." Mulder said and then the waiter lead them to a  
small secluded table in the back of the room. They sat down  
and were each handed a menu, then the waiter disappeared.

"Mulder. This is wonderful. How did you come to know this  
place?"

"Ah, I don't know, Scully. Maybe I shouldn't tell you my  
sources. It would cheapen the whole thing. Let's just say, I  
can work magic."

"Come on, Mulder."

"No way, Scully."

She pursed her lips. "You keeping secrets from me?"

He chuckled. "Oh, okay. The Gunmen told me about it."

"WHAT?!" Her eyes were big as saucers.

"See? I told you it would ruin the effect." He shrugged.

"You trust the guys on something as important as our  
stomachs?"

"Don't worry. I checked it out beforehand."

Scully looked a little more relieved. No, she looked  
beautiful. That's what she looked like.

Mulder thought something was strange, though: They were  
sitting here, on their first date as a couple, and his speech  
wasn't reduced to sputtering. Sure, every time Scully looked  
at him with that affectionate look, his knees started to turn  
to rubber but it somehow wasn't as bad as it had been when he  
was a gawky teenager.

The dates he remembered within the last 15 years on the other  
hand had been accompanied by a lot less tension than this  
one. Either he hadn't cared about them that much anyway or he  
just cared more about his Scully than he had for all the  
others.

And, well, the ease wasn't such a big surprise, since they'd  
known each other for seven years - no, almost eight years -  
now. They had gone through a lot together and had their own  
jokes, their own rules. But they weren't shy teenagers, not  
embarrassed every time being caught staring at the other.

But what he did feel like, was a lovesick teenager. He only  
needed to look at her and then a giddy feeling overcame him.  
She loved him. And they had proceeded with their  
relationship. They held hands throughout dinner, as if  
loosing contact would somehow be a fatal occurrence. They  
also played footsie under the table and got a kick out of  
being a normal couple for a little bit. And everything was  
going just fine.

Oh, sure, he saw the looks the other men gave Scully. He  
noticed how they followed her with their eyes. But she didn't  
seem to notice and it satisfied him infinitely that, as soon  
as he showed their observers clearly that she was his, they  
never got too obvious again. Well, okay, the way he was  
showing that they were together gave him the most pleasure.

Like when he bought the whole bouquet of red roses from a  
salesperson coming to their table. And especially the look  
she had given him then. In her eyes had been surprise,  
confusion, exasperation - the smallest component in her look-  
, understanding, amusement and then so much love his breath  
caught in his throat.

After finishing dinner, they decided to take a walk around  
after depositing the roses in the car. They strolled down the  
block and came to the Potomac, then stopped at the wall  
keeping the people from falling down the few feet to the  
actual riverbank. Scully stood in front of it, laying her  
hands on it and looking up to the sky. Mulder stood behind  
her with his arms around her shoulders and his chin resting  
on the top of her head.

He was so close he had to notice the shiver that ran through  
her.

"You cold?", he asked her softly in a concerned voice.

She nodded. "A little. The dress is sleeveless."

He reluctantly tore his arms from her and shrugged out of his  
jacket.

"Here. Take this." He helped her into it.

"Thanks."

They were silent again while Mulder went to lean against the  
wall and taking her hand in his, and fingered it. Scully was  
looking up at the stars again.

"Oh, Mulder, this night is incredible! The stars are so  
beautiful."

When he didn't reply right away she turned her head to look  
at him.

"Well, Scully, you see, I think the most beautiful stars are  
the ones in your eyes."

She gave his hand a light squeeze and pointed her head in the  
direction of the car. "Shall we?"

He nodded and straightened. They turned together and he  
wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They walked back to the  
car and drove home.

Not able to conceal his hunger for her any more, Mulder  
swiveled Scully around to him. She had been trying to open  
the door to her apartment but with the light still broken it  
had taken up more time than Mulder could wait for a Scully-  
kiss. So he simply kissed her where they were now. In a dark  
hallway in front of her apartment door. /Who cares?/

But while the heat was rising and they became more reckless,  
the door to the apartment across from Scully's opened and a  
woman in her mid-thirties emerged with a young child on her  
arm. Upon seeing them the kid exclaimed:

"EWWWWWW!!"

And before other statements of disgust could be wailed,  
Scully opened her door and pulled Mulder into her apartment.  
/What is that kid doing up at this time of the night  
anyway?!/

------------------------------------------------------------- (Author's Note: Hihi, just had to get that kiddo in /grin/.  
This is what Cirglas' sister behaves like when people kiss on  
TV. Kids are great! Really, I do like them. But, well, they  
just DON'T know much about love. --Nessy)  
-------------------------------------------------------------

Monday  
8:55 AM  
Skinner's waiting room

"Mulder, would you please stop pacing? It's driving me bats.  
And stop fiddling with your tie." She gave him an  
understanding smile. "Come here."

Mulder walked over to Scully and stood in front of her. "I'm  
sorry, Scully. It's just..."

She reached up and straightened his tie. "Don't worry,  
Mulder. Skinner likes us. Otherwise he would have closed us  
down a long time ago."

Mulder smiled as he recognized how right she was about that.  
But he wanted the X-Files back. And he needed to work with  
her. But they might be separated if the higher-ups found out  
that they had gotten involved. So they needed Skinner's okay  
that they would be allowed to work together even if they  
became lovers.

Mulder heard something that sounded suspiciously like a sigh  
from his left and turned his head to find out who or what had  
caused it. He noticed that Skinner's secretary had taken an  
unhealthy interest in their interactions. And she was smiling  
at them with a satisfied smirk on her lips. Mulder took a  
step back from Scully who had finished with his tie.

He remembered the looks they had received from the security  
guards down in the entrance hall. They had recognized him and  
Scully and had not hidden their amusement at seeing them  
together once more. /Yes, you're right guys. Mr. and Mrs.  
Spooky are back./

Suddenly Skinner's door swung open and an anxious Skinner  
peeked out. His gaze landed on Scully.

"I just looked on my schedule and saw your name, Agent  
Scully. Is there anything I can do for you?" Then he noticed  
that she wasn't alone. "Mulder?"

"Surprise," Mulder said in his usual humor-soaked voice.  
Skinner waved them over into his office and closed the door  
behind them. Then he shook Mulder's hand with a fierce grip.  
"Good to see you again, Mulder."

"Good to be back, Sir."

"And? Did you find out something about your sister?"

"Yes. I found her, Sir." Mulder couldn't have stifled the  
tiniest smile at that thought.

"That is great news, Mulder." He looked over to Scully and  
said: "So how long is he back?"

"A few days."

"And you didn't think it necessary to inform me about it?"

"Oh, Sir, we thought we'd surprise you."

"Well, you sure managed to do that."

"Um, Sir?" Mulder spoke up.

"Yes, I think it's time to take up the business talk. Please  
take a seat." They complied as Skinner walked around behind  
his desk and sat down in his chair.

"I can imagine what has brought you here. And I'm glad to be  
able to say: You can have the X-Files back."

Skinner smiled at the happy faces across from him. His two  
favorite agents were back. Finally the boring years were  
over. But there was something else in their faces.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" He asked.

"Well, there is one more thing, Sir." Mulder said and took  
Scully's hand. "You see, Sir, Scully and I have decided to  
pursue our feelings for each other."

A shocked pause. Then: "How recent is that decision?"

"Very recent, Sir," Scully answered.

Skinner frowned. /Oh, no, please don't let him tell us we  
can't work together anymore./

Skinner looked first one then the other in the eyes. "Hmm.  
You know, I could have sworn that you two had gotten involved  
years ago."

Mulder was utterly confused. Was he saying that, even though  
he thought they had gotten involved, he hadn't separated  
them? "Sir?"

"Well, I know that kind of 'fraternization' is frowned upon,  
but why separate my best agents? I just hope you will stay my  
best agents." After they had nodded their confirmation - they  
were still too perplexed to say anything - Skinner continued:  
"It'll take a little time to get the paper work through. But  
you should be able to start to work on the X-Files again by  
Monday morning. I'll notify Quantico of your transfer, Agent  
Scully, and make sure that they find a replacement to start  
immediately, so that you can move your things back down to  
the basement and get settled."

Mulder and Scully stood up and Mulder said "Thank you, Sir."

"You're welcome. I'm glad to have you two back." Skinner  
nodded at them. Just as they wanted to walk out the door he  
called them back.

"You sure that the decision is recent?"

Scully smiled her enigmatic smile and after glancing at  
Mulder replied, "The decision is."

As the door closed behind them Skinner shook his head and  
murmured: "Better late than never."

On the other side of the door Mulder leaned down, wrapped his  
arms around her waist, picked Scully up and spun her around  
in the air. That surprised a giggle out of her. Mulder was  
just so happy. He had everything he ever wanted. His sister,  
the X-Files, Scully. Especially Scully. He carefully set her  
down again and kissed her passionately.

What they hadn't noticed was that the door to the hallway  
stood open and they could also be seen through the glass  
window. So they earned themselves catcalls, howling and  
applause for their kiss. As they broke their kiss she was  
flushed, but not from desire this time. Her blushing made him  
smile.

Mulder's next reaction was the most natural in the world -  
for him. He cradled her face in his palms and kissed her  
again. For good measure. The applause and noise perked up  
again.

Skinner, wondering what all the noise was about, opened the  
door and looked out. What he saw made him smile - for the  
second time this day, in only about twenty minutes.

There they stood, his best pair of agents, in the middle of  
his outer office, kissing as if their life depended on it.  
Kimberly, his secretary, had propped her head up on her hands  
and was looking dreamily at the two lovebirds.

Skinner placed his hands on his hips and enjoyed the show.  
/Let the fun begin./

-------------------------------------------------------------

The End

Ah. Finished. Finally.

So. What do you think?  
Scully still has to meet Samantha. Or is the story just so  
horrible that Cirglas and I should immediately get rid of our  
comps altogether?

-------------------------------------------------------------

You are the one who I want to  
Spend my life with  
You are the one who I want to  
Share my thoughts with  
Together in this crazy world  
We'll be strong if we hold together  
Holding on to love

In good or bad  
Happy or sad times  
We'll go through it together  
you and me  
We'll show the world  
That love's eternal  
Time and time again we'll be  
Holding strong

You are the one who I want to  
Spend my life with  
You are the one who I want to  
Share my thoughts with  
Together in this crazy world  
We'll be strong if we hold together  
Holding on to love

In good or bad  
Happy or sad times  
We'll go through it together  
you and me  
We'll show the world  
That love's eternal  
Time and time again we'll be  
Holding strong

Falling for you  
You're the one, for me now  
Falling for you, love

In good or bad  
Happy or sad times  
We'll go through it together  
you and me  
We'll show the world  
That love's eternal  
Time and time again we'll be  
Holding strong

---- Kara Johnstad (Holding on to Love)


End file.
